Bad Apples: USDA Finds Pesticide Residues

Grapes, strawberries also make the "Dirty Dozen" list

A former reporter and bureau chief for broadcast outlets and magazines, Truman Lewis has covered presidential campaigns, state politics and stories ranging from organized crime to environmental protection.
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If apples are,
well, the apple of your eye, you may be shocked to learn that
they're also at the top of the "dirty dozen" list of fruits and
vegetables contaminated with pesticide residues, followed closely
by grapes and strawberries.

A U.S.
Agriculture Department survey found that nearly 100 percent of
the samples tested were contaminated with presticide residue
– even after they were washed under cold water for 10
seconds.

The Environmental
Working Group (EWG) analyzes the USDA findings each year to
find the both the "Dirty Dozen" and the "Clean 15" fruits and
vegetables.

Notable changes this year included apples’ rank as the
most contaminated produce, jumping three spots from last year to
replace celery at the top of the “Dirty Dozen” list.
According to USDA, pesticides showed up on 98 percent of the more
than 700 apple samples tested.

Nevertheless, most experts agree the health benefits of a diet
rich in fruits and vegetables outweigh the risks of pesticide
exposure, and EWG said it strongly recommends that everyone follow
USDA’s recommendation to eat five servings of fruits and
vegetables every day.

“Pesticides are toxic,” said Sonya Lunder, Senior
Analyst at EWG. “They are designed to kill things and most
are not good for you. The question is, how bad are they?”

Cilantro

Making an
appearance in the guide for the first time is the herb cilantro,
which had never been tested by USDA until now. The data showed 33
unapproved pesticides on 44 percent of the cilantro samples tested,
which is the highest percentage of unapproved pesticides recorded
on any item included in the guide since EWG started tracking the
data in 1995.

Also appearing in the guide for the first time are green onions,
cranberries and mushrooms. Mushrooms made the “Clean
15” list, while honeydew was the only item to drop off that
list this year. Cherries dropped off the “Dirty Dozen”
list, but lettuce, which has made the list in previous years, was
back on.

“Though buying organic is always the best choice, we know
that sometimes people do not have access to that produce or cannot
afford it,” said EWG President Ken Cook. “Our guide
helps consumers concerned about pesticides to make better choices
among conventional produce, and lets them know which fruits and
vegetables they may want to buy organic.”

Pesticides can be extremely toxic to human health and the
environment. U.S. and international government agencies alike have
linked pesticides to nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone
system disruption and IQ deficits among children.

"I really worry that pesticides on food are unhealthy for the
tender, developing brains and bodies of young children," said Dr.
Harvey Karp, MD, FAAP, creator of the book/DVD The Happiest Baby on
the Block. "Parents don't realize they're often feeding their
little ones fruits and veggies with the highest pesticide residues.
Studies show even small amounts of these chemicals add up and can
impair a child's health when they're exposed during the early,
critical stages of their development."

When pesticide sprayers have to bundle up in astronaut-like
suits for protection, it's clear parents want to feed their
families food containing as little of these toxic chemicals as
possible."

Toxic substances

"Pesticides, while designed specifically to kill certain
organisms, are also associated with a host of very serious health
problems in people, including neurological deficits, ADHD,
endocrine system disruption and cancer," said Andrew Weil, MD,
Founder and Director, Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. "My
advice to consumers is to whenever possible avoid exposure to
pesticides, including pesticide residues on food."

Consumers who choose five servings of fruits and vegetables a
day from EWG's Clean 15 list rather than from the Dirty Dozen can
lower the volume of pesticides they consume by 92 percent,
according to EWG’s calculations. They will also eat fewer
types of pesticides. Picking five servings of fruits and vegetables
from the 12 most-contaminated products would result in consuming an
average of 14 different pesticides a day. Choosing five servings
from the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables would result
in consuming fewer than two pesticides per day.

EWG’s Shoppers Guide is available as a PDF download
at http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/. An
iPhone app will be available in the near future. For a small
donation, consumers can also have a version of the guide sent to
them as a bag tag that can be attached to reusable shopping
bags.

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